Stockholm Syndrome
by QueenRiley
Summary: Stockholm syndrome- the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with, or sympathize with his or her captor
1. Chapter 1 Dillon

Dillon thought it had started out as a good day. He'd changed the oil in the Fury. He'd sat and listened while Ziggy talked about something inane at length, though he hadn't paid enough attention to remember what they'd talked about. He'd spent some time with Summer, which seemed to make her happy, and hadn't even minded playing lab rat for Dr. K for a little while. She'd done some scans and sent him on his way.

So when he caught himself smiling, freely, at one of Ziggy's jokes, he knew it couldn't last. Nothing good ever lasted, not for him. Not five minutes later, alarms blared. They ran straight for Dr. K. She was already rushing around her lab typing on various keyboards and bringing up schematics.

"Breach at sector 21. I'm picking up a lot of activity." They didn't even wait for her to finish. They all piled into vehicles and raced out of the garage, tires squealing on the concrete. Dillon actually hoped his sister was leading the attack this time. Maybe, just maybe, he could get through to her.

They found Tenaya easily enough. It was hard to miss her. There was a large hole blasted out of the concrete wall surrounding the city. The shield was fluctuating blue around the hole, the holographic sky splintering into visible panels, and the wasteland visible beyond. There was a hole in the shield slightly bigger than the hole in the concrete barrier.

She was just standing there. She hadn't moved away from the portion of wall she'd destroyed to get through, nor was she actually attacking anything. Instead, she held a remote control in her hand and was ushering in wave after wave of grinder.

"Time's up, Tenaya!" Scott called. She didn't turn. She barely even acknowledged their presence, titling her head only slightly in their direction. They morphed and threw themselves into the fray, taking out as many grinders as they could. It didn't seem to matter. They just kept coming.

"Rangers," Dr. K's voice came over their internal communication. "She's using some kind of remote control to hone in on the shield frequency and weaken power in that sector. If you can get the remote away from her, I believe shields will return to full power." It sounded easy enough, but getting close to her was the problem. As soon as one of them would move past a group of grinders, another would take it's place and block their path. Dillon finally punched his way through and grabbed his sister.

"Tenaya, please! Stop this! I know you're still in there somewhere. Remember me!" he begged. She threw him off and fiddled with the controls. The shield fluctuated and then the gap widened further. He jumped up to go after her again, but the last wave of grinders all converged on him as one.

"My suit power is low, guys. I'm at 25%! I don't know how much more of this I can take!" Ziggy called from somewhere off to Dillon's left.

A quick systems check told him he was low as well, but he was too busy dealing with Tenaya and the grinders to say anything. Gem and Gemma echoed Ziggy's condition and Dillon thought for once they might actually be in real trouble. The influx of grinders finally stopped, but they were still standing in a sea of them. Tenaya finally turned and smirked. Dillon took out three grinders in one kick and then went after his sister. He didn't want to hurt her, but she had to be stopped.

He sent a kick flying at her head, but she stepped aside easily and knocked him flat. He struggled with her and was able to get the remote out of her hands. He threw it at the shield and it shattered and sparked, the hole closing as the pieces fell. She screamed with rage and attacked with all her might. Within five minutes of fighting, he was out of power. He force demorphed mid punch and nearly fell over as the power drained out of him.

"Goodbye, Dillon." Tenaya said, raising her arm. Dillon panted, trying desperately to get his suit back online, to get his shield, anything to protect him. He heard his name being screamed from somewhere off in the distance but he knew there wasn't time. He couldn't run, didn't have the energy, and nobody was close enough to help. They were stuck with the last of the grinders. He was done for. Tenaya fired everything she had at him and before the blue blasts could reach him, he was blinded by a brilliant green light. Ziggy had teleported directly in front of him. Tenaya's blast hit Ziggy full on and Dillon was thrown back from the residual force of it. He saw Ziggy fly in the air and hit the ground some twenty feet away, unmorphed. The teleport had eaten up the last of his power. His head bounced sickeningly on the ground and Dillon saw blood splatter behind him. Ziggy lay in the same spot he landed, motionless.

"ZIGGY!" he yelled, trying to move, trying to get to his friend any way he could. Tenaya advanced, not on him as he'd hoped, but on Ziggy's lifeless form. She nudged him with her boot and Dillon's stomach turned when Ziggy didn't respond, didn't react. He moved like a rag doll when she kicked him, but he didn't ever open his eyes. Dillon couldn't even tell if Ziggy was still breathing.

"Oh, nice! A trophy," she said, picking up the prone figure before her. She tossed aside his morpher and Dillon was horrified to see it smoking. It hit the ground with a clang and he could smell burnt circuitry. She had Ziggy thrown over her shoulder when Dillon finally managed to stand. His legs were wobbly and his chest burned with every breath. He looked around and the others were trying to get to them, but they were still trapped by the last of the grinders.

Tenaya's way out gone; she looked desperately for a way to escape while dragging Ziggy with her. Dillon began to run, trying to get to her, but she snapped her fingers and some of the grinders separated from the others, grabbing him. He was struggling against the grinders when Tenaya smiled and took off running. She jumped into the air just as she reached a corner. Determined, Dillon broke free and took off after her. His feet pounded the pavement, sending jolting shivers right up his spine, and he was out of breath, but he didn't stop running. It was no use. He couldn't keep up. He turned a corner and that was it. He'd hit a dead end. He couldn't go any further and Tenaya had disappeared with Ziggy. Just like that, they were gone.


	2. Chapter 2 Ziggy

He could see the light through his eyelids. The stabbing pain in the back of his head made it pretty clear he better not open them just yet. The pain was the first thing that really registered as he slowly made his way through the murky fog back to consciousness. He didn't want to do anything to make that pain worse, so he lay still and listened. It was quiet. Eerily quiet. He was on a bed of some sort. It was hard and cold and he could feel it through his thin clothes. It wasn't his bed at the garage and it was too uncomfortable to be a hospital bed.

He tried to remember what happened. He had been knocked out, he knew that much. He was in enough pain to know he hadn't just been sleeping. He remembered the alarms, Tenaya, and the shield. He remembered the grinders. There had been so many grinders. He'd never seen the likes of it, the sheer number of them. And he remembered teleporting. He'd tried to get in front of… something. Somebody. It had been a person. He'd been trying to protect a person. He'd wanted to stop something. All he could remember was a blinding light and the emptiness of power rushing out of him. His suit must have shut down, just enough power for the teleport and that was it. He remembered a name, but it was all still so fuzzy. He'd screamed something. He searched his memory. Power, somebody else out of power, Tenaya, weapon, Dillon out of power, not morphed. Dillon! Oh god, Dillon!

"Dillon!" he screamed, sitting upright faster than he should have. His head swam and he felt a wave of nausea wash over him as his stomach recoiled at the movement. The bright light stabbed like daggers right through to the back of his skull and he clutched at his head, eyes screwed tightly shut trying to block it out. It took several deep, slow breaths to calm his senses and dull the pain.

"Sit still, Ziggy. You hit your head. You're still recovering," a female voice said behind him. He was too overwhelmed with the pain to figure out who it was. Summer, maybe? Gemma? She'd used his name so it couldn't be Dr. K. Maybe he was in hospital and it was a nurse. But there wasn't any beeping, no comm system or people bustling, no hissing of machines. It was just… quiet. He waited until his stomach stopped rolling and slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the light.

He was in a small room. The walls were institutional grey and there was a toilet in the corner with a sink next to it. He was sitting on a metal bed with a thin mattress. It had been pushed against the back wall. It looked almost like a jail cell, but he knew he wasn't in the Corinth prison. It was too different, unless this was an isolation room he hadn't seen before. He looked over at the door. It was heavy, locked tight with no handle on the inside, and there was one tiny rectangular window near the top. He was definitely in confinement somewhere. But where? And what had happened that they felt the need to lock him up? He couldn't remember anything past the blinding flash of light, the feeling of power draining from his body.

"Where's Dillon? Is he okay?" he asked the voice once he could trust himself to not vomit the minute he opened his mouth. He swung his feet off the edge of the bed and slowly stood up. His vision was blurry and he couldn't keep the walls from spinning, so he sat back down again. The owner of the voice walked out of the corner and finally into his line of sight. Ziggy froze.

"He's alive as far as I know." Tenaya stalked over to stand in front of him. He blinked up at her, shifting as far back on the bed as he could. She was locked in the cell with him.

"What's going on?" he asked, eyes narrowing. She smiled at him.

"You're mine now. Oh, don't worry; I fixed all that physical damage. We have a tissue regenerator and some amazing doctors down in the hybrid lab. It was touch and go for awhile, they said, but you should feel much better by tomorrow. I'm afraid I couldn't do anything for your mental defects though." She was taunting him, having fun. Clearly, this was her domain. He pulled his knees to his chest and looked around again. There was no escape, no way out; there wasn't even an air vent.

She stood over him, an imposing figure. His head throbbed and he just wanted to lie down and go back to sleep. Maybe he'd wake up and it would all be a dream. He had to know, first, to clear his memory.

"What happened?" he asked, picking at his pants. At least she'd left him in his street clothes.

"I shot you," she said nonchalantly, as if it was just something she did for laughs every day. "You jumped in front of Dillon and took the blast. Quite heroic, but a wasted effort. I'll still kill him and instead of saving him, you simply handed yourself over to me. The rangers are down by one and I gained a new toy. All around a good deal, if you ask me." Her smile was cold.

"They'll come for me, you know," he said, warning. She laughed heartily.

"And divert their precious resources? I highly doubt you're that important to them. Besides, they'll never find you even if they did bother. They couldn't even find you last time I took you when I kept you inside Corinth itself. They don't stand a chance out here." He looked down at his hands. He knew it was true. Sure, they'd look for awhile, but Dillon hadn't been able to find his way back to the Venjix base, if that's even where he was now. No way would he find it for Ziggy after he looked so hard for Tenaya. He was pretty sure the others wouldn't care enough to bother trying more than was perfunctory. He tried to suppress the fear that coiled within him at the thought of being left there alone. If this wasn't a dream, the torture would start soon. She'd drag every bit of information out of him she could, he was sure of it.

She didn't say anything else, just continued staring at him with that cold, dead smile. She took one step forward, then another. He flinched back, anticipating the hit, but it never came. When he opened his eyes, she was leaning over him. Instead of hitting him, she pushed him down until he was lying on his back again. She climbed on the bed with him, holding his wrists firmly above his head. He didn't have the strength to try and fight her off. He was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to stop her even if he did have his strength. Her grip was firm and controlling. It was all he could do to remember to breath. She straddled him, sitting gently on his lap. It was almost like she was being careful not to hurt him.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice shaky. Her grin turned manic, evil, and she leaned down, her breasts pressed against his chest. She whispered in his ear and her words went straight down his spine, the fear flaming into life.

"I want to play."


	3. Chapter 3 Dillon

It had been three days. Three long, agonizing days. The garage was quiet. Just one person missing and it felt suddenly devoid of life. They spoke in whispers, when they spoke at all. Food tasted bland. Games were muted. Even their bedroom, so crowded with four people it normally felt like sardines in a can, felt spacious and empty without him. It had been three quiet, lonely, empty days. Venjix hadn't attacked in that time, not once. Not a bot, not Tenaya, not even a stray grinder had made it's way into the city. Dillon wasn't sure if that fact was comforting or troublesome. He wasn't sure about a lot of things anymore. Three days and his world had turned upside down.

Ziggy was gone, vanished like a wisp of smoke. They'd scoured the city in the hopes Tenaya had left him somewhere, too injured herself to get him away, but he was nowhere to be found. Dr. K had her computers searching for him in every way they could. She had amazing resources, methods of detection he'd never dreamed could exist, and she'd pulled them all out for Ziggy. She'd had no luck, either. Dillon was surprised. He'd never expected her to put up such an effort to find Ziggy. She hadn't seemed to bother much when he'd been handed over to Fresno Bob; hadn't even cared. But there she was, searching diligently in the only way she knew how.

Dillon was sitting in the garage. He hated to just sit. People walked on eggshells around him and he couldn't blame them, but to sit and do nothing just made it all worse. But he had to wait. They were taking turns, going in patrols in groups of two or three. Dillon was beginning to suspect it was pointless. Ziggy wasn't in the city any longer. He probably hadn't been that whole time. Tenaya had taken him, run off, probably back to the Venjix base. As he searched, one part of his brain was always devoted to attempting to trace back the path he'd taken with Tenaya, the path to Venjix's base. He'd come up empty, on all counts.

"Sector thirty-four was a no-go." Scott said wearily, climbing out of his car after it slid into the bay. Summer exited the passenger side and collapsed on the couch, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm exhausted. We couldn't even find any trace of him," she sighed.

"We should expand our search to the wastelands." Dillon said, crossing his arms.

"We've had this conversation before, Dillon. You know we can't." Scott started.

"It's no good. We can't get in and out of the city every single day." Flynn said, trotting down the stairs. It was nearly his shift with the Boom Twins, but both Gem and Gemma were both still asleep from the exhaustive combing earlier that day. Dillon gritted his teeth and tried not to yell. He was on edge all the time, anger bubbling just under the surface constantly, but he couldn't explode on them. It wouldn't be fair. They had to be hurting too.

"We could go out in twenty-four hour shifts. Leave with the vents in the morning, come back with the vents the following morning and let the next group go." Dillon wasn't ready to give up yet.

"What, and leave the city unprotected? We're already down one ranger. What good will it do Corinth if we're down two or three more during a fight?" Scott asked. He was slumped over the kitchen counter.

"You protected it just fine before, just the three of you." Dillon replied. Scott sighed.

"Venjix is far more powerful now than he was then." Dillon turned and saw Dr. K standing in the door to her lab. She looked so small, dark circles forming under her eyes. "Three rangers won't cut it. I'm not even sure six of you will be enough."

"We can't give up." Dillon felt the anger bubbling again. It threatened to spill over. He couldn't stop looking. He couldn't give up on Ziggy. He was out there somewhere. He had to be.

"We won't give up. We just need to be more economical in our planning," she reassured him.

"I don't mean to be the downer here, but you said he took a blast from Tenaya point blank and he's been with Venjix for three days now. How do we know he's even still alive?" Flynn asked. Everybody turned to look at him and Dillon felt his carefully placed walls begin to crack.

"He's alive," he said through clenched teeth.

"How do you know?" Summer asked, tears springing to her eyes.

"I just know. He's alive. He has to be." He was glaring at her, willing the walls to stay in place, willing himself to not break down. Scott sighed and reached out to place a comforting hand on Dillon's shoulder.

"I hate to say it, but I'm kind of siding with Flynn here. I know you two were close and all, but maybe it's time to face the facts. We're destroying ourselves and putting the city at risk just to look for a teammate that Venjix has probably already killed by now, if Tenaya's blast didn't do it first." That was it. Dillon's walls came tumbling down and he clenched his fists. It took every last ounce of control he had to keep from punching Scott right in his well-meaning, sympathetic face.

"Friend. He is more than just your teammate. He's your friend." Dillon was vibrating with anger. Tears spilled over and Summer buried her head in her hands, sobs wracking her overly tired body. Scott met Dillon's eyes in silent apology, agony over saying what he was thinking, but obviously sure it was the right way to go.

"Friend, yes. He was our friend. But he's gone and for all we know, he is dead."

"He isn't dead!" Dillon yelled. "Stop talking about him like he's a part of your past. We'll find him. We have to. We need him. I need him." He could feel the moisture prick at his eyes, but he blinked it back. He wouldn't cry.

"Ranger Green is alive, I can assure you of that." Dr. K said, finally interrupting. Scott turned on his heels and Dillon let that little glimmer of hope sink in. "The series green morpher, while severely damaged, is still active. It has yet to reset to the pre-bonded state," she continued. They all stared.

"What's that mean, Doc?" Flynn asked from Summer's side. She had quieted a bit, but Dillon could still see the tears streak down her face.

"The morphers are DNA bonded. As long as Ziggy is still alive, it remains locked to him." They let her words wash over them and Dillon held tight to the meaning behind what she said. She'd called him Ziggy and while the name sounded awkward on her lips, it had intense emotion behind it. She wasn't giving up hope yet, either. Ziggy was still alive and they had a way of monitoring that. It may not tell them what was happening to him or where he was, or even if he was okay, but at least they knew he was alive. That was enough for Dillon, for now.

Dillon shook himself out of Scott's grasp and went straight to his car. Screw the shifts. Screw the sectors. Screw taking somebody with him. He was going out in the wasteland. He was going to drive until he was out of gas, or until he found the Venjix base, whichever came first.

"Where are you going?" Scott called after him.

"To find Ziggy," he said. Three days was three days too long.


	4. Chapter 4 Ziggy

It had been a week. Well, he was guessing it had been a week. He didn't have any windows to see where the sun was and they never turned the lights off in his cell, not once. He guessed a week based on the three meals a day theory, and if he counted them up, it equaled twenty-three meals he'd been served while in the cell.

Seven days. It was agony. Not the torture. No, they never physically hurt him anymore. There wasn't even a 'they' he could speak of, really. It was just Tenaya. He saw nobody else, heard nobody else. There were two grinders outside his door at all times, but they didn't make a sound. He couldn't hear any other prisoners on the row, if there were any. He never saw a bot, a general, nor Venjix himself. He just saw Tenaya.

She came like clockwork every third meal. He'd taken to calling it dinner, though it could have been breakfast for all he knew. There really wasn't any rhyme or reason to the timing and the type of food he was given. A grinder would slip a tray into his room twice a day, and then Tenaya always brought him one meal. She was the only person he saw.

Logically he knew she wasn't really a person anymore, not in the standard sense of the word. She was more mechanical than flesh now, more robot than hybrid, but she looked human. And she sounded human. And she felt human in all the places she seemed to want him to feel her. And once upon a time, she'd not only been human, but she'd been Dillon's sister. So he thought of her as a person and it helped him get through it.

She didn't hit him, not anymore. He figured out if he just did what she wanted, when she wanted, she wouldn't hurt him. And so he caved to everything every single time. It was easier that way. It's not like she was torturing him for information. She hadn't asked him one question about the rangers, their gear, or the garage. She hadn't asked him much of anything, actually. It worried him. He didn't know why she was keeping him alive if it wasn't to get information out of him. Not that he'd tell her anything that would endanger his friends, of course, but still. It made him nervous, the lack of torture.

She had hurt him once, if he was honest with himself. He'd tried to escape. He'd taken out the grinder that brought him breakfast on his second day and tried to run past. He hadn't counted on Tenaya waiting outside the door for him. He hadn't known she did that every meal, and sometimes in between just to watch him. She'd punished him severely for that little stunt. His back still ached from the beating, though the scabs were finally falling off with the new skin underneath. It was the last time she'd hurt him like that. He hadn't tried to escape again.

Oh but she did torture him, in her own ways. She seemed to take particular delight in it. Sometimes she'd tie him up and play with him until he begged her to stop through his tears, or until she was spent. Sometimes she used whips or chains, but she never asked any questions. He'd stopped expecting them, stopped waiting for the interrogation. He'd realized she did it just for the fun of it. He was her new toy. He'd come to accept that, just in the past day or so. It was easier to deal with that, too, once he'd just admitted it to himself. He was nothing more than a plaything.

Odd how that worked. The more human she seemed to him, the less human he seemed to himself. He didn't know if that was intentional or not. Either way, he belonged to her and he had to accept it. He wasn't going anywhere. She had no plans to kill him, it seemed, nor was she about to let anybody else kill him if they even knew he was there in the first place.

Nobody had bothered to come looking. They either hadn't found the Venjix base yet or they hadn't tried at all. He wanted to believe the first, but as the days went on, he suspected the latter was more likely. Oh sure, he believed Dillon had tried, but the rest of them? They probably gave up after the first day and then managed to pressure Dillon into giving up too. No, there was no hope of rescue, not any more. He was sure the rest of his life would consist of the four small walls, three square meals a day, and a nightly visit from Tenaya.

He found himself looking forward to the visits. He was lonely, so terribly lonely. There was nobody to talk to. Nobody to interact with. His mind raced and he craved human contact, would do anything just for the chance to see and talk to another human being. He'd never been alone like this before. The orphanage had been crowded. The cartel had given him space, but there was always somebody to talk to. And then with the rangers, well it was like a family. Sure, he'd been on his own in the wasteland, but it was wide open spaces and wandering and there was always the hope of stumbling across other people.

But here? Here were four plain grey walls and the confines of his own mind. It was cramped and desperate and he would do anything just for another warm body. And so he had Tenaya. And he hated himself for it, but he found himself wishing she would visit more often. He missed her when she was gone, if for nothing else but the human interaction she gave him. When she was here, he wasn't alone, and he didn't want to be alone anymore.

The door to his cell opened and slammed quickly behind her. She held out a tray for him. Meatloaf with gravy, peas, and a slice of bread. A cup of water.

Meal number twenty-four.

Day number eight.


	5. Chapter 5 Dillon

Dillon came running down the stairs as the alarms blared around him. He was first in the lab, the others dragging in behind him. Dr. K stumbled out of what he assumed was her room. The door he hadn't known existed slid shut behind her and she blinked wearily at the six rangers in various states of undress in her lab. It was far too early in the morning for any of them to be functioning. Gemma had slid into the seat by the computers and was typing away when Dr. K shooed her off. Her hands stilled and she stared at the screen.

"What is it, Doc?" Dillon asked. The look on her face; she was scared.

"It's Tenaya. Grinders. Sector twelve." They turned as one to leave, but her voice stopped them. "Rangers, be careful. I… just stay together." Scott nodded and led the others out.

It had been nearly three weeks since they'd fought Tenaya. They hadn't seen her, not once, since she'd taken off with Ziggy. They'd fought grinders, new bots, even taken out General Crunch. But Tenaya hadn't appeared in Corinth since that day. She was back now. Something must have changed.

She was trying to finish setting a charge on some sort of explosive when they cornered her. Dillon didn't even wait for an explanation. He pushed past the other rangers and went straight for her. He knew they would take care of the grinders. He knew they would stop the explosives. His vision narrowed, all he could see was his sister. He wouldn't hold his punches this time.

"Well somebody's angry this morning." Tenaya quipped as Dillon fought her back against a wall. She was all smiles and snark. He growled and aimed a high kick right for her head. She blocked it easily, but didn't expect him to turn and slam bodily into her right away. He had her pinned against the wall.

"Where is he?" Dillon growled. She laughed and he slammed her against the wall again. Her breath hitched, but she was still smiling.

"Oh, he's safe. I've been taking good care of him. And he of me." She pushed against the wall and used the leverage to lift her legs and slam into his stomach. He recoiled as she dropped down, the wind knocked out of him. She chased him back a bit, punches and kicks hitting home more than he was able to block.

"I want him back, Tenaya," he panted. She pinned him to the ground, her knee on his chest.

"No. He's too much fun to give up." Unable to move his upper body at all, he threw his legs up and kicked her over his head. She tumbled forward and he rolled to the side, tackling her.

"What are you doing to him?" He shoved her against the ground as hard as he could. She flipped him over pinned his hands above his head.

"Oh don't worry. He's in good hands. We play so well together. He's very… talented. But you already knew that, didn't you? How does it feel, Brother, to have your lover taken away?" Anger surged through him. No longer could he hear the battles of his fellow teammates. He didn't know where they were or how they were doing. He could only hear the rush of blood in his ears and the echo of her words in his head. He was furious, and he channeled that into his fighting. Fueled by his anger, she didn't stand a chance.

"I will find him, Tenaya. I will come for him and I will take him back." He threw her aside, but she managed to skid on her feet. She watched the other rangers come running to Dillon's defense, the grinders destroyed and the detonation device dismantled. She turned and took off at a run. The battle was over, but Dillon couldn't force down the anger. He knew what was going on now. He knew it had to be stopped.

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He'd broached the subject with Dr. K. They needed a plan. Searching the wasteland hadn't worked. Tracing signals hadn't worked. They had run out of options, but neither was willing to give up yet. And now that Dillon knew what was going on, he knew they needed to step up their efforts. He couldn't find Ziggy on his own, though. He needed help.

"There must be a way to find the palace," he said. It was late. Everybody else was asleep, but he and the good doctor had been working for hours, creating plan after plan and then scrapping them all.

"There is one way. I've been hesitant to suggest it. It's very dangerous and I can't guarantee success. I fear it's more likely to fail." Dr. K wouldn't look at him. She was tapping her fingers on the desk, looking off to the side at one of the monitors.

"We're out of options, Doc," he said. She sighed and looked down.

"Tracking devices are small and unobtrusive. I could… I could build one. Tiny. If you could slip it under Tenaya's skin during a fight, she might not register it's there. She's the only thing that comes in the city that goes back to Venjix base." Dillon waited for the dangerous part. She didn't say anything.

"Well that's a good idea," he prompted. She finally looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"You would have to go. You would have to let the virus take over and infiltrate the base. It would be the only way in. But Venjix… if Venjix realized you weren't really under his control. It would mean certain death. And if you couldn't regain control after allowing the virus to take over, then it means the end of us all." Dillon clenched his teeth. He looked over at the still broken series green morpher. It was in a case, hooked up to wires, with its status displayed on a small screen. It was still bonded to Ziggy. He stared at that morpher, memories dancing behind his eyes, and thought about what Tenaya had said, what she was doing to him. Dillon turned back to Dr. K with steel in his eyes. He was willing to risk it. He'd risk everything if it meant getting Ziggy back alive.

"You build it. I'll worry about the rest."


	6. Chapter 6 Ziggy

Ziggy was still getting used to the new room. He couldn't believe his luck. Tenaya had actually let him out of his cell. She'd made him promise to stay in her room and he'd agreed, because at least it wasn't the cell any longer. He liked being here. He could see the sun and the moon, have a set schedule. She spent more time with him here. He could see grinders and generals, prisoners and medics. He could even choose what he wanted to eat and when. He wasn't alone, not in this room, not anymore, and once he wasn't alone it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn't feel so lost. It was just starting to feel like home.

She didn't sleep in here, didn't sleep at all really, and the large bed seemed mostly for him. He slept in here, slept a lot actually. He lay on the bed, soft sheets and squishy pillows surrounding him. She was watching him, her robotic eyes flashing between red and brown as if she couldn't make up her mind which was in charge. She was quiet, contemplative. Usually that meant something was wrong. He wanted to know, but he wouldn't ask. Ziggy knew better than to speak first.

"You were sleeping with my brother," she said. He was suddenly on edge. She always started this, but never seemed to get to the question she really wanted to ask. It was always the same meaning, just different phrasing.

"You know that already," he replied, flipping over onto his stomach and resting on his elbows. He straightened the fringe on one of the pillows.

"Did anybody else know about you two? Were there others besides Dillon?" she asked. He shook his head. She knew all this. They'd been down this road nearly every day for the past week.

"Cut out the middle this time. What do you really want to know, Tenaya?" He was getting bolder, braver, in the way he spoke to her. He didn't fear physical retaliation, knew she wouldn't really hurt him any more than he deserved, and maybe things would be less awkward if she'd just spit out.

"Did you love him?" she blurted. It wasn't quite what he was expecting and he looked over at her. She was suddenly very close, right up against him, and he was almost afraid to answer. He couldn't find his voice, so he just nodded. She frowned and started to say something else, but then her eyes flashed with brilliant light and he had to look away. She was getting a message from Venjix. When they returned to brown, she cursed and stood up. She stopped at the door.

"Ziggy?" she called. He looked at her. "Do you still love him?"

"I will never stop loving him," he replied with defiance and steel in his voice. Had she not been called away, that response would have earned him a slap in the face, he knew. It was only her need to leave that gave him the courage to say it at all. Her eyes flashed red and for a moment he thought she might make Venjix wait, that she'd stomp across the room and hit him anyway. She didn't. She glared at him, eyes narrowed, face pinched tight.

"You could love me, Ziggy. I'm all you need now." He didn't respond, couldn't respond, and she turned and ran out of the room. He knew she wouldn't be back for a few hours. For the first time since the day he woke up here, he cried.

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Ziggy was waiting for her when she came in. He'd gotten all the supplies ready, cleaning cloths, needles and thread, even some oil just in case. He knew she'd need him. Ziggy had taken to cleaning up her wounds for her rather than letting any of the grinders or medics do it. She hadn't actually asked him to, he just wanted to. She limped into the room and he couldn't help but gawk. She was really beaten up this time. The rangers hadn't held back, not at all. He motioned at a chair and she sat, letting him run his fingers over her.

"We didn't win," she sighed. Ziggy was secretly relieved, though he wasn't entirely sure when he started counting in her 'we' instead of her 'they'. He couldn't go back to the rangers; he knew that, but he certainly didn't want them to be destroyed and he didn't want Corinth to fall. But then, he wasn't sure when he started to think of this as home and that as… the past.

"Did you tell them about me?" he asked quietly. This line of questioning could lead to punishment if he wasn't careful, but he had to know and he'd already risked his neck without retaliation earlier that day. He had to know if they'd given up, if they thought he was dead. He had to know if they still cared. She nodded while he stitched up a tear in her arm.

"Dillon knows, has for awhile. What he's told the others, I don't know. But I told him you're mine now. You can't leave here. You don't belong to him anymore." She looked up at him and he nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He didn't mind so much, not anymore. She was good to him now.

"I know," he whispered, moving to find any other areas that needed stitching.

She had a cut on the back of her neck and it was actually bleeding. So little of her body was still flesh and blood. He wiped up the blood being careful not to push on the cut. This was where she was warm, one of the few places where her heart still pumped her life force throughout. This was where he could forget about the circuitry hiding just beneath the surface, where it was easiest to pretend she was just another girl. She hummed as he ran his fingers along the smooth edge of the wound, trying to find the best way to stitch it back together. There was something unusual, a bump under the surface, and he probed it. Something tiny and metallic popped out from just under her skin and, curious but not wanting to draw attention, he palmed it before he laced three stitches into her skin. When he was done, he leant down and kissed the spot. She reached up and caught his hand, staring at him with hard, cold eyes.

"He says he's coming for you. Every time I see him, he says he's coming for you. I won't let him take you away, Ziggy. You are mine and you can't ever forget that." For the first time ever, Tenaya looked scared. He nodded, biting back the tears. She observed him for a minute and then turned. "I have to recharge. Stay here." She didn't need to order him anymore. He wasn't going anywhere and they both knew it.

Once she was gone, he pulled out the small device he'd taken from her neck. It was so tiny. It was black and unobtrusive, but he could just see the wires poking out the ends. He had no clue if it was functioning or not. There were no blinking lights, no noise, just a tiny little tube with some skinny little wires. It definitely wasn't Venjix tech.

His breath hitched when he realized what it was, what it's purpose was. Dr. K had built it, he was certain of it. There was only one thing she would build that they would covertly slip onto Tenaya without her noticing. It was a tracking device. They would find the base. They were coming. He allowed himself a minute to think what it would be like to be with them again, to be with Dillon, but then he crushed that hope and forced himself to face reality. He was a piece of HER now, and he couldn't betray her, even if he wanted to. And a large part of him really didn't want to.

Ziggy took a shuddering breath. He dropped the tracking device, watching it bounce and settle on the hard floor. He stomped on it, grinding out the signal with the heel of his shoe. His last bit of hope turned to dust with the device. They were coming, but he could never leave.


	7. Chapter 7 Dillon

Dillon was surprised at how easy it was. He walked right into Venjix's base. He allowed Venjix to scan him, to probe him, to discover the virus at nearly full strength. He struggled to give the virus enough control to convince Venjix while still keeping part of himself intact. He knew he'd be okay, so long as he held tightly to his goal, to that one piece of humanity he had left. He'd sworn allegiance to Venjix, vowed to take down the rangers and Corinth, and that had been that. He'd been sent on his way, no cell, no interrogation, nothing. If only all super villains were so trusting.

Tenaya was a different story. She didn't want to believe him and had, in fact, stomped out of the room at the mere suggestion that he be given General status. He didn't know where she was now, but he was pretty sure she wasn't ever going to believe he had really switched sides. Maybe he could get through to her, to convince her of her own humanity. He knew that everything she'd done had been because of Venjix, that she wasn't a bad person. She was still his sister, he still loved her. He still wanted her back. But she wasn't his main goal this time. He had more pressing matters to focus on.

He'd been shown to a room. It was basic, utilitarian, but it was enough. He had a bed, he had a light, and he was free to roam anywhere in the base. He wandered awhile, getting used to the layout, trying to find his way around. He fought off flashes of memory, tried to crush the panic that threatened to take over with every turn.

It took half an hour, but he found his way back to the room they'd held him in before, when Tenaya had brought him here. It seemed to be the only prisoner block in the entire base. There were a few hallways of rooms just like it, but Ziggy wasn't in any of them. They were all empty. He was at a loss for where to go next.

"You won't find him here," a voice said behind him, startling him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Tenaya leaning against the wall two doors down the hall.

"Where is he?" he asked, clenching his fists.

"Why should I tell you? I know you're only here as some misguided rescue attempt. You can't take him home." She was angry. Her eyes were bright brown, glittering with moisture and full of emotion. They didn't flash red, not at all, and Dillon realized she was speaking to him as Tenaya, human hybrid, not Tenaya 15, Venjix controlled robot. Somehow, somewhere in there, his sister was still hiding. Something had changed in her. His heart lurched when he realized that, in this moment at least, she was more human than robot. And the human part of her was what was clinging so tightly to Ziggy. This was not turning out at all like he suspected.

"This is home, isn't it? But he's mine. I claimed him first and I want him back." He was pretty sure it wasn't going to work, but he had to try. He had to find Ziggy. He was risking everything, absolutely everything, to get him back. She frowned at him, studying him, and then did an abrupt about face. She sauntered off, motioning for him to follow.

"I'll take you to him, but you're not going to like what you find. I already told you, he doesn't belong to you anymore." He shoved his hands in his pockets and followed her brisk pace out of the honeycomb of prisoner cells.

"Don't count on it," he replied. She laughed, but didn't say anything else.

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She led him straight to her room. It was fancier than his own, furnished with ornate wood furniture and elaborately decorated in deep reds and blacks. He was surprised. He'd expected her to take him to some special cell block, some dungeon-like room where Ziggy would be chained or strapped to the wall, half starved and beaten. Instead, he was led to a luxurious suite.

Ziggy was there, of course, just as she'd said. He was stretched out on the bed, shirtless and wearing only ragged, overly tight jeans. His hair was longer, messier, and there were some disturbing raised scars criss-crossing his back, but he wasn't chained, wasn't cuffed, wasn't even tied up. He was just lying there. Dillon couldn't believe it. It had been so long, so very very long, and there he was, right in front of him. The weight he'd been carrying lifted from his shoulders and he could actually feel the hope swell in his chest. He was overwhelmed with the surge of happiness, pure joy spreading throughout his body. It was all he could do to remember to breathe.

"Ziggy," he sighed, his voice barely above a whisper. Ziggy looked up when he spoke, finally noticing them, his face going through every emotion one could expect of him. Disbelief, fear, sadness, uncertainty, happiness, hope. Love. Overwhelming love and desire and want and need.

Dillon wasn't aware he'd moved. He didn't realize he'd taken a few steps into the room, nor did he register that Ziggy had jumped off the bed. But there he was, all skin and bones, but solid in his arms. He was whispering to Ziggy, words tumbling past his lips without knowing what he was saying. 'You're alive, missed you, love you'.

And then they were kissing. It was hard and fast, desperate, making up for every lost moment, pouring everything they had into each other. Dillon held him tight, pulled him close and safe in the circle of his arms. His scent, uniquely Ziggy, surrounded him and he breathed it in. He let himself revel in the taste, the feel, of all he'd missed for the past month. Ziggy practically climbed up his body, wrapping his arms around Dillon's neck, twisting his leg around Dillon's legs, and tangling his hands through Dillon's hair.

"Oh god, you're here, you're really here," Ziggy whispered, pulling back to look at him. Dillon touched his face, ran his fingers along the too sharp jaw line, the overly defined cheekbones. He was so painfully thin and gaunt. But he was here, he was in front of him, and he could touch him. Ziggy was real and finally, after a month apart, he had him back. His face nearly broke from the grin he couldn't wipe away. He was happy, happier than he ever thought he could be, just to have Ziggy alive and okay with him again. There were tears in Ziggy's eyes, and it took Dillon a minute to realize there was moisture on his own cheeks. He was crying.

"Ziggy!" Tenaya said sharply, apparently having enough of their touching reunion. He immediately jumped and backed away from Dillon. Dillon reached for him, but he cast his eyes to the floor and shook his head violently from side to side.

"What did you do?" Dillon asked, eyes wide, staring at his sister. She smiled at him, dangerous and evil.

"Get it through that thick skull. I told you. He doesn't belong to you anymore." Dillon looked back at Ziggy and could see him shaking, whether out of fear or sadness he wasn't sure.

"What did you do?" he yelled, lunging for her. He caught her by the throat and pushed her into the wall, but she just smiled. Before he could do anything, say anything, Ziggy was standing between them, hand on his arm, pushing him away from Tenaya.

"Let her go." Ziggy's voice was low, dangerous. Dillon looked at him in shock. Ziggy was defending Tenaya. His eyes were hard, angry. He'd never seen Ziggy direct that look at him before. "Let her go, Dillon."

"Ziggy?" he asked quietly, releasing his sister and backing up a few paces. Tenaya laughed deep in her throat and stood still, Ziggy positioned strategically in front of her. He was acting as her shield and he'd put himself in that position. She reached out and took his hand. He stared at Dillon and the tears pooling in Ziggy's eyes finally fell. There were many things Dillon had been expecting, all kinds of scenarios he'd planned for, but this certainly hadn't been one of them. Tenaya's smirk widened at the shock on his face.

"Mine," she said.

"I'm sorry," Ziggy whispered as the tears fell. "I'm so sorry."

Dillon's heart shattered all over again. He could barely breathe from the pain of it, but he nodded and backed away anyway. He understood. He hated it, but he understood. There was nothing he could do right now. It nearly killed him to do it, but he walked out the door, left Ziggy behind him. The anger coursing through his veins, pounding in his head, was the only thing that kept him upright as he went to his new room. He wiped away his own tears and collapsed on his bed, hoping for some time to think before he'd be forced to do Venjix's bidding. He wasn't leaving without Ziggy, even if meant taking him by force. He just hadn't expected to have to use force against Ziggy himself. So close. He was so close, and suddenly so very far. He needed a new plan and he needed one fast.


	8. Chapter 8 Tenaya

She hated him. The fury she felt towards him burned slowly in the pit of her stomach and just the fact that she felt so strongly about him made her hate him more. She wanted to hurt him, to kill him. If he was gone, she'd stop having emotions. She'd stop feeling. She didn't want to feel. Robots don't have emotions.

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to kill him. He made her feel, and part of her liked that. He made her more human. She didn't want to be human; she wanted to be a robot. But the more she experienced emotions and broke from her Venjix programming, the more she wanted to break away completely. And it was because of him. She hated him, but she didn't at the same time. She didn't understand it, not at all.

She cursed herself. Damnit if she didn't love Ziggy Grover. This was all his fault.

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She waited until Ziggy was asleep and talking softly before she left the room and crept down the hall. Normally she would have spent all night watching him sleep, listening to his dreams. He spoke so clearly at night, so openly. It was how she learnt things about him. But tonight she had another goal in mind. She needed help, to talk about her little humanity problem, and there was only one person who would understand.

"Tenaya," Dillon said, sitting up on the bed after she opened the door to his room and crept in. She glared at him, wanting to hate him too, but she couldn't, not any more than she hated Ziggy.

"Every time I look at you, I remember things. Every time I remember things, I feel more." She crossed her arms on her chest, trying to at least look angry.

"Feelings aren't bad," he replied, smirking at her. She stomped to stand in front of him and he didn't even flinch. Ziggy still flinched when she did that.

"I'm a robot. Robots don't feel things. I was reprogrammed so I wouldn't feel things." She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes and hated herself just that little bit more. She sat down hard on the bed, shoving his legs out of the way.

"You're not a robot, Tenaya. You have robotic parts, but you're still human." She buried her face in her hands and sighed.

"You're just as bad as he is," she whispered. It took Dillon a minute to catch up.

" Ziggy? Ziggy makes you feel things?" he asked. He sounded surprised. She just glared at him. He had the nerve to laugh haughtily, the smug bastard. They were quiet for a few minutes, both lost in thought. He was letting his guard down. She had to risk it all.

"I've watched you, you know. All three days you've been here? Yeah, I watched you. I see more than you think I do. I know you told the red ranger something when you fought him yesterday. Venjix thinks we'll beat them next time, but I don't think so. I think you told them you'll fake it, but they shouldn't hold back." He was quiet. He didn't confirm it, but he didn't deny it either, so she continued. "I've also watched you with Ziggy. You know it's only my generosity that lets you spend time with him."

"I do what I want. You couldn't stop me being wit him if you tried," he smirked. He was so confident. She hated that about him too, but for every word he spoke, she had flashbacks to a little boy bossing her around, but lovingly, tenderly. She shook her head. No emotions. Emotions were bad. Emotions were human.

"I don't want to stop you. You make him happy. Happier than I ever could."

"Do you want to make him happy, Tenaya?" He was quiet. She chanced looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked concerned and that made her sad. They were robots. They weren't supposed to care.

"At first I didn't care. But I do now. The longer he was here and the more I played with him, the more he grew on me, the annoying little twerp," she sighed, trying to be angry but failing miserably.

"Yeah, he has that effect on people." She felt the bed dip as he moved to sit next to her. He bumped her knee with his and she smiled. It was familiar, but not. Like a memory block she couldn't quite access. Like a dream. That was it, what had been bothering her since he'd showed up. Dillon made her feel like she was living in a dream, something that felt so familiar, yet so strange at the same time. It was like walking through fog, a haze, struggling to remember. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to sleep, to dream. She missed it.

"I said you couldn't have him. I said he was mine. But he's not, is he?" Dillon shook his head.

"Ziggy is his own person. You can break him, you can make him obey, but it won't change who he is. He can't belong to anybody." She knew he was right. Ziggy didn't belong to her, but he didn't belong to Dillon either, small comfort though that was.

"People don't belong to other people." She said it distantly, like a piece of a puzzle was sliding into place.

"People belong to themselves, nobody and nothing else." The way he stressed the word nothing was important. It meant something.

"You're not here to serve Venjix." It wasn't a question. He didn't say anything. She stood up. She should go tell Venjix immediately. She should reveal him for the spy that he was. But she wouldn't. She knew she wouldn't. It was already too late. She'd changed, parted from her programming, and she'd learnt something new. Nothing could own a person.

"I just wanted to save Ziggy." He said it quietly, like he knew what she was thinking. She strode to the door, suddenly overwhelmed, suddenly needing very much to be somewhere else, somewhere she wouldn't be hounded by faded memories. Her hand hovered over the door handle and she couldn't quite bring herself to leave.

"I'll do what I can. But it may be too late for him." She pulled the door open forcefully and left the room feeling more defeated than any battle had ever left her.


	9. Chapter 9 Ziggy

Author's Note: I know it's been awhile since I updated. Real life got in the way. Apologies for the delay and I'll try not to let it go so long before the next chapter.

* * *

Ziggy thought he'd died and gone to heaven. It was the only explanation for the amazing turn his life had taken over the past few weeks. Surely he hadn't been good enough for Tenaya to let him have all she was giving, but she gave to him willingly so he must have done something right. Or she was becoming more human and compassionate. He was having a hard time telling these days.

He was allowed out of her room. She'd told him he was free to wander anywhere he so desired including outside, as long as he stayed away from Venjix and the control room. That wasn't a problem. He had no desire to see Venjix, nor to put himself in any kind of position to piss him off. She had given permission, encouraged him even, but he was still hesitant to leave. He'd ventured down to the kitchen at one point but hadn't been back since he'd had to pass the medical ward and labs on the way. It was easier for him to deal with if he didn't have to see just what Venjix was doing to the other humans on the base. Mostly he stayed in Tenaya's room. It felt safe. It was comfortable and confined. If he wasn't there, he was just a few doors down the hall. In Dillon's room.

That was the best part of it all, really. Dillon had been with Venjix for two weeks now and despite her initial reticence at letting him see Dillon, she was now allowing him to be around Dillon whenever either of them wanted. That seemed to be most all of the time. Sometimes Dillon would be in Tenaya's room and sometimes he'd be down in Dillon's room, but every spare moment they had, they spent together. He'd missed him so much. It was like a piece of him had been missing, ripped away, and now it was back, stitched carefully into place and infusing him with life again.

"What are you thinking about?" Dillon asked him softly, brushing locks of hair behind his ear. It had gotten so long now the ends were actual curls and it never stayed in place. He raised himself onto his elbows and fiddled with the opulent bedspread on Tenaya's bed.

"I'm lucky," he said with a small smile. Dillon almost laughed, but managed to clamp his mouth shut after one loud guffaw. Ziggy glared at him.

"You are a prisoner in the heavily guarded base of the villain that managed to wipe out an entire planet. How is that lucky?"

"I'm here for Tenaya, not Venjix. I don't belong to him," he said through gritted teeth. He hated talk like this, the reminders of his captivity. Dillon had been doing it with increasing frequency ever since Tenaya let him have full, unchecked access to Ziggy.

"You don't belong to anybody." Dillon said firmly. He sounded sad, looked pained, and Ziggy had to look away. He hated being the one that put that expression on his face.

"She's good to me. I belong to her."

"No. You belong to you." Ziggy couldn't reply, so he just turned to lie on his side with his head resting on a crooked elbow. His hair fell across his eyes again and he didn't have to look Dillon in the face. He began stroking his fingers lightly along Dillon's stomach, tracing the lines left by the hard muscles. They were quiet for a moment before Dillon reached up to stop his hand. He gripped it tightly and Ziggy just stared at their fingers.

"Do you love her?" Dillon asked quietly. He'd never asked that before. Ziggy had a sudden sense of déjà vu.

"Yes. And no. But not… not like you. I don't love her like I love you." Dillon put his head down right next to Ziggy's and he could feel him staring, feel the ghost of Dillon's warm breath through his hair, but he couldn't bear to meet his eyes. "She stopped, y'know. The asking me to… do things. Or forcing me, I guess, because I never had a choice, really, and only went along with her because it was easier than fighting. But she doesn't… touch me like that anymore. Not since she's let me be with you. I kind of miss it." Dillon didn't speak. The silence was oppressive, crushing him more and more with each second that passed. He was about to say something, anything, to break the silence, when the bedroom door was thrown violently open. Tenaya came rushing in, panting, something small clutched in her hands. She rushed around the room picking up clothes from the floor, throwing them at Ziggy and Dillon. She was talking, her voice urgent, but so fast it couldn't be understood.

"Wait, calm down. What's going on?" Ziggy asked, sitting up just as Dillon's shirt hit him in the face. He handed it over as he tried to figure out what she was saying.

"You have to leave. Right now, there isn't time. You have to go and you have to take him and you have to get out of here!" She rushed over and grabbed Dillon by the arm, dragging him off the bed. They were confused until the lights started flashing and a siren blared throughout the compound.

"What are you doing?" Ziggy asked as she threw more clothes at him. Dillon was already pulling on his shirt.

"Saving your life. Venjix knows Dillon is lying. He's going to kill him if he finds him. The Fury is parked out the southeast entrance, the one by the kitchens. It's your only way out. I've stalled them as much as I could, sent them in the opposite direction, but it won't take Venjix long to figure out and kill him." Ziggy just stood there trying to process it all. It had all been going so well. He had Dillon back and he had Tenaya. It was pure bliss, happiness he never knew he could feel. But now he was about to lose him again. It was all crashing down around him. He should have known it'd be too good to last. Dillon grabbed him by the arm and started to pull him towards the door.

"What are you doing? I'm not going with you!" he cried, trying to break out of Dillon's grasp.

"You have to come with me, Ziggy. I have to get you out of here. You're the only reason I came at all." Dillon pulled again and Ziggy stumbled forward. He was about to protest when Tenaya stopped him.

"You're free, Ziggy. You're his now. Go. Do what he says." She hugged him tight and slipped the small cartridge into his hand. It was a flash drive. "Everything you could ever need to know about Venjix. Dr. K will know what to do with it. Make sure she gets it." He stared at her. He was so confused. She was just letting him go? Just like that? It didn't make any sense. He didn't want to leave. The lights flashed red and clouded his vision. Tenaya pushed him as Dillon pulled, but all he could do was stare.

"I don't want to leave you," he whispered. Tears glistened in her eyes.

"I can't follow you yet. Now go before he tries to kill you too. Get out of here. GO!" she yelled. She pushed him hard and he stumbled after Dillon right out the door and into the hallway. They could hear grinders coming. They could see the shadows on the corridor wall as they neared the corner. Tenaya rushed past and headed straight for the grinders. She directed them down another hall and marched after them without even looking back. Ziggy didn't hesitate. Dillon let go of his arm and he took off at a run. He followed Dillon down the hall, through some storage rooms, past the kitchens, and outside. He was in the Fury before he knew what he was doing.

He didn't want to know what direction they were going. He didn't want to see the way back to Corinth. He didn't even notice the time. He just sat in the passenger seat and stared at the little flash drive in his hand. Tenaya had hacked the system, taken everything she could, and then given it to him. To save the world. To beat Venjix. She really had switched sides and now he had no clue what to think. So long he'd spent with her, slowly losing his "we rangers" until it became "those rangers". So long he'd spent that now the base they were speeding away from felt like home.

He chanced a glance at Dillon. He was tense, checking the rear-view frequently, but a smile kept tugging at his lips. He reached for Ziggy's hand, and Ziggy let him take it. It was only then that he realized it. Dillon had been playing all along. He'd never been taken over by the virus. He'd never actually left the rangers. He'd just pretended that whole time. 'You're the only reason I came at all' he'd said. It had all been an act, a way to get Ziggy away from Tenaya.

He was suddenly furious. Anger simmered, burning him from the inside out. Nobody had asked what he'd wanted. So long he'd been locked up. They'd just left him there for nearly two months, abandoned him. For all they knew he could have been tortured every single day. They had no idea she'd grow to love him. They didn't know she'd take care of him. And yet they hadn't come to get him before now. It had been so long and now he was mad. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to be a ranger anymore. He wanted to be with Dillon, yes, but not like this. Not without Tenaya, too.

It was dark before they rushed the Venjix barricade and Ziggy was shocked at how easy it was to get through. Venjix knew what Dillon had done; Tenaya had said he was out to kill him, so surely he knew where they were going. But there was hardly a fight. There was nobody to chase them and the guns didn't even rise up to launch a volley of attacks. They sped right past it, right through the open gates of the city. Dillon had rushed him straight to the garage, not a word spoken the entire drive.

* * *

They were waiting, all of them. They were standing in a line, just waiting. Scott, Flynn, Summer, Gem, Gemma, even Dr. K. They were all just standing there when Dillon slid into his spot in the garage. Dillon jumped out of the Fury, laughing and smiling. He hugged people. He was happy to be home. Ziggy wasn't so happy. He didn't want this. He slowly opened the door, slowly climbed out of the Fury. He stood back, hand on the warm roof of the car. It was his only support. He was scared.

All eyes were on him. It had been months. Summer looked like she was about to cry. Gem and Gemma were practically vibrating. Even Dr. K looked… happy. But it wasn't right. The garage smelled wrong, sent his sense reeling. It was so big, so open. He didn't like having all the space around him. But the others, that was what was really bothering him. They were looking at him expectantly, hopeful and afraid at the same time. Scott put his hand on Dillon's shoulder.

"You actually did it, man. You brought him back." Ziggy felt the anger surge again.

"Welcome home, Ziggy." Flynn said, extending a hand. He looked at it, but didn't move. Flynn dropped it awkwardly.

"We thought you might want this!" Gemma said, holding out his familiar morpher. It was black and twisted. He could see circuitry underneath the broken exterior.

"It's broken beyond repair. We know you can't use it. But we thought…" Gem continued.

"Maybe you'd feel more comfortable…" Gemma supplied.

"If you had it on again." Gem finished. Ziggy just stared at it. He couldn't use it and seeing it, battered and destroyed, made it all that much worse. Gemma hesitated, her wide smile faltering as she stepped back towards Gem, morpher still clutched in her outstretched hands. Dr. K cleared her throat and stepped forward.

"I'll need to do a physical evaluation, of course, but it can wait until morning unless you feel you need medical attention immediately. Do you? Need medical attention that is?" She was awkward. She was uncomfortable. That felt more familiar. It was the slightest ray of comfort he'd had since he stepped out of the Fury. He held out his hand and offered up the little flash drive.

"Tenaya gave me this, for you." Dr. K stared at it, hesitant to take it. He thrust it closer to her. "She risked her life to get it. She risked her life to get us out. Take it." Dr. K took it and backed up quickly, like an animal cornered in a cage taking a scrap of food. He was grateful she didn't try to touch him. He wasn't sure he could handle physical contact. The visual scrutiny was bad enough.

"Thank you, Ziggy," she said. She used his name. That was it, the nail in the coffin. He couldn't take this, couldn't deal with them. It was all too much, all too overwhelming. He shouldn't be here. He didn't belong here anymore. He just stared, trembling and terrified, and they stared back. They hesitated. They were unsure. They recognized him, but he wasn't the same. He could see it, and it made his blood run cold. Even they were recognizing it. They'd thought they were saving him from a nightmare, from endless torture, he could see it all over their faces. The welcome home party, the joyous reunion, the expressions of relief and eternal gratitude, and he was ruining it all. He shouldn't be here.

"Ziggy, hey, c'mon…" Dillon started to move towards him, but Ziggy wouldn't give him the chance. This was wrong. This was all wrong. And this was all his fault. He took two steps towards Dillon. He felt his muscles coil and then release quickly as his fist swung in a clean arc right across Dillon's jaw. Dillon stumbled to the side, clutching at his face, as Ziggy began to cry. Scott took a step towards Ziggy while everybody else moved towards Dillon, but Dillon stopped them all with a hand. Ziggy couldn't stop the rolling emotions, the anger and fear and heart-wrenching sadness that were slowly taking over. He felt like his whole body was shaking and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He just wanted to go back.

"You should have left me there," he said through his tears. The world went fuzzy and then faded into darkness as the stress of the evening finally took over. He felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him as he collapsed, just before everything turned to nothingness. Ziggy's nightmare was just beginning.


	10. Chapter 10 Dillon

Dillon surveyed the room. They were quiet. All of them so quiet. Even the twins weren't making any noise. It was downright creepy. They'd called him into the workout room. He didn't know what it was about, wasn't sure he really wanted to know, but Scott had been insistent. Team meeting, he'd said. Everybody had to be there.

So there he was. And there was everybody else. Everybody except Dr. K and Ziggy. They apparently didn't count in the word 'team'. Not like it was much of a meeting. Nobody was talking. None of them seemed willing to speak first, and Dillon would be damned if he'd be the first to open his mouth. This meeting hadn't been his idea, after all.

"Okay, I can't take it anymore! Somebody say something." Summer exclaimed. Dillon stared hard at Scott. He was leader. This meeting had been his idea, or at least he'd been the one to drag Dillon in for it. He should be the first to speak.

"I wanted to talk about. What I mean is. Well. We've all been thinking it, I know. No use denying it." Scott sighed. There seemed to be a nearly universal understanding of what he meant as the others all nodded and stopped squirming in discomfort. Dillon was the exception. He didn't have a clue what Scott was talking about. He didn't get it.

"What?" he asked innocently. Nobody spoke so he said it again.

"Y'know…" Flynn trailed off. Dillon blinked. No, no he really didn't know.

"Ziggy." Summer finally said. The others nodded and visibly relaxed. Somebody had finally said it. Dillon suspected, but he wasn't going to let them get off easy. He immediately jumped on the defensive.

"What about Ziggy?" he asked, crossing his arms and defiantly staring down anybody that dared look at him too long. He knew what was coming, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

"What's wrong with him?" Flynn asked quietly. The room was silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Dillon glared.

"Nothing is wrong with him. He's fine," he insisted. He really didn't want to have this conversation. They didn't appear to want to talk about it either, but they'd called this stupid meeting. They weren't going to let it drop, so he was going to be as difficult as possible. Besides, there really wasn't anything wrong with Ziggy. Nothing that a little time wouldn't heal. And Dillon hoped that if he kept telling himself that over and over, maybe one day he'd actually believe it himself.

"Something is wrong, Dillon. He doesn't talk to us, when he sees us at all. He just scurries away like a caged animal." Summer put her hand on Dillon's shoulder. He shrugged it off.

"He wanders around like a ghost. He lurks in the shadows when he comes out of your room at all. It's like he's hiding in them." Gemma said.

"Or trying to disappear into them." Gem expanded. The others nodded forlornly. Dillon scowled.

"He won't touch his morpher, but I've seen him staring at it when he thinks nobody is looking. He slides into the labs and just… stands there looking all pained. Like it's killing him, but he can't stop staring." Flynn whispered. He seemed to do everything in a whisper these days.

"He acts like he's already dead, Dillon. Like he died a long time ago." Dillon wasn't sure what Scott meant, but he shut it out of his head. Ziggy would be fine. Was fine. Ziggy was definitely fine.

"It's nothing. He's fine. He just needs some time to adjust to being back, that's all. He's fine." Dillon wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more; them or himself.

"What about the nightmares?" Scott asked, crossing his arms in a direct imitation of Dillon. Dillon's head snapped up and locked eyes. He didn't know anybody else had paid attention to the nightmares. Flynn knew, he knew Flynn knew. But Flynn was a light sleeper. Nobody could piss in the bathroom down the hall without it waking Flynn up. There was no way nightmares would get past him. But Scott? Scott could sleep through the leveling of the city without trouble. So if he knew… if he heard. But no. It couldn't be that bad. Dillon wouldn't admit it was that bad.

"He was held captive for two months. You have to expect some fear from that. They'll go away eventually. It's not a problem." Dillon insisted.

"It is a problem, Dillon. A big one. He wakes up every single night screaming. You know if it wakes me up, it's a problem." Dillon slumped in partial defeat. He couldn't deny the nightmares.

"He sleeps fine once I calm him down. I just need a bigger bed. Maybe if he could start out with me, stay in with me, he wouldn't have the nightmares at all. Get us a bigger bed and problem solved." Scott sighed and the others shifted uncomfortably. He knew they probably weren't ready to confront that aspect of Dillon's relationship with Ziggy. They 'd hid it so well for so long; it had been hard to accept once Ziggy was gone and Dillon couldn't hide his feelings. Until Ziggy came back, until they saw it for themselves. Dillon was surprised at how supportive they all had been, honestly, it being so unexpected and all. But regardless, he could still see them squirm sometimes when Ziggy would be openly clingy or when Dillon was the only one who could talk him down. But a bigger bed, bunking together, well maybe it would help Ziggy, and that's what he was most concerned with.

"A band-aid solution, that's all that is. It takes care of the symptoms but the problem remains. Something is wrong and we need to fix it." Scott shook his head and Dillon could see the desperation in his eyes. He knew they were just trying to help, but he didn't want to face the problem himself. He opened his mouth to speak when a soft voice commanded attention from behind him. Dr. K had found their little impromptu meeting and she was standing in the doorway.

"Stockholm syndrome. He has Stockholm syndrome," she said. They blinked at her, unsure what she was talking about, and she sighed in exasperation. "Stockholm syndrome is the condition of becoming affectionately attached to a captor. It generally manifests after lengthy captivities where there is continuous stress and a heightened sense of dependence, particularly if the need to cooperate is imperative for survival." Only about half of what she said made any sense at all to Dillon, but it was enough for him to grasp the meaning. It made sense.

"So how do we fix it?" Scott asked. Dr. K sighed.

"Therapy. Lots of it. And time. It's going to take a considerable amount of time. I've taken the liberty of contacting the few psychiatrists remaining in Corinth. Only one was willing to take on such a unique and involved case. Ziggy's first appointment is tomorrow morning." She effectively ended the conversation and stood, staring, waiting for the others to leave. They slowly drifted away, quiet and thoughtful, but content with an answer. Only Dillon remained. Once the room was clear, he slowly strode past Dr. K. He stopped at her side, unable to look her in the face for fear she'd see him break down. He put a hand lightly on her shoulder and squeezed ever so gently, just enough for her to feel it.

"Thank you," he whispered, not trusting his voice to anything else, before he walked away.


	11. Chapter 11 Ziggy

Ziggy hated everything. At least when he'd been with Tenaya, life had been crap for a good reason. But now? Now he had no reason to be miserable and yet he was. He was back with the rangers, back at the garage, but he wasn't home, not what he thought of as home, and it hurt. It was made all the worse because he couldn't get anybody, least of all himself, to understand why.

Everyone looked at him with such pity. Confusion and expectations, yes, but it was the pity that bothered him the most. It was stifling and a little bit insulting. It was just easier to avoid them than to deal with the stares, the unasked questions. He dreaded night nearly as much as their presence. Night brought terrifying dreams; nightmares he could neither remember nor forget. Even worse, they made him go to therapy now. Dillon, his one port in the storm of condescension, didn't even back him up. Dillon made him go, just like the others. Just like with Tenaya, there was no escape. He hadn't come home. He'd merely gone from one prison to another.

Venjix had stepped up attacks and Ziggy was torn in two. He didn't want the rangers getting hurt and he knew he was supposed to want them to win. He certainly didn't want Venjix ruling the world or wiping out the last of humanity, him with it. But he was terrified for Tenaya's safety. She had to get away and soon. He needed her, now more than ever.

He was in therapy three times a week. There was only one psychiatrist in town willing to see him, a little nugget for his self-loathing Dr. K had accidentally let slip. His psychiatrist had said he'd heal best by slowly letting in things from his old life. To accept that it was different now, but try and find a new balance of normalcy. But it was so hard. He wasn't a ranger anymore, not really, and that had been his entire life. Sure, he still had a morpher, but it was broken beyond repair. Useless. Just like him. Just looking at it filled him with pain, made his heart ache.

He wanted things to go back to the way they were before. Before kidnapping. Before Tenaya. Sometimes even before he was a ranger. It was progress, his psychiatrist said. Progress. He didn't feel like he was making progress. He didn't feel like he was getting better. He felt worse by the day. Until Dr. K had a plan. And Ziggy realized he could still make a difference, he could still be the person he was. He wanted to be whole again and she could offer him that opportunity.

They'd all been surprised when he'd asked to sit in on the latest planning session. Dr. K had spoken of her work with the information Tenaya had given her. Dr. K had told him everything. And he knew what he had to do. But first, he had to be there. So he'd slipped in behind Dillon and quietly asked if he could stay.

Things were dire now. One more battle could be the last, the win or lose it all event. Ziggy could see it on their faces, the strain of eventuality. It was desperation, and they all knew it.

"I have a virus." Dr. K said. Gem and Gemma got it right away, twittering excitedly, but the rest of them were a step behind.

"You… made another virus?" Summer asked hesitantly. Dr. K nodded enthusiastically.

"A counter-virus, if you will. It will stop Venjix; isolate him into one system and contain him. It will firewall him into a physical body that can be destroyed. Once he enters his armour bot, he won't be able to leave it's circuitry. And the armour bot can be destroyed." Ziggy felt the air in the room change before he saw the realization on their faces. Hope. Optimism. A chance at survival. They cheered, talking amongst themselves, hugging each other. They could beat Venjix. Finally, they could win their weary war and be done. Ziggy knew it wouldn't be that simple. It's never that simple.

"What's the catch, Doc?" he asked. All sound stopped. He realized it was the first time many of them had heard him speak in the two weeks he'd been back. They stared. "It can't be that easy. So what's the catch?"

"You're right, Ziggy." It still threw him when she used his name. "It won't be that easy. The only way to upload the virus is to put it directly into the mainframe; the core computer system in the heavily guarded center of his base." Everything came crashing down around them. Infiltrating the base would mean certain death for anybody who tried it. Venjix didn't make the same mistake twice. Nobody would be let in again.

"How do we upload it?" Scott asked. His voice was heavy.

"Just insert the flash drive and it uploads itself." Dr. K held up a tiny black flash drive. It was the same one Ziggy had brought back, the one that had the information Tenaya had smuggled out. Dr. K was using Venjix's own technology against him.

"I'll take it." Scott said, standing up and holding out his hand. Summer immediately spoke up.

"Oh no you won't! I'll go."

"No, I'm second in command, I should go." Flynn spoke up.

"I can't ask any of you to sacrifice your life. It's my responsibility as leader to take on this mission." He was holding resolute.

"You being leader is exactly why you shouldn't be the one to go. I've been there before. I know my way around. I'll go." Ziggy's heart plummeted. Venjix would kill Dillon before he'd get within a mile of that base. Voices erupted in argument around him. He physically ached with the conflict. He looked over at Dr. K and she seemed as much in shock as he was. He was waiting for her to interrupt, to have some brilliant plan, but she was just staring at the group argue, the flash drive hanging loosely between her fingers. Ziggy's vision narrowed to the flash drive. It was hope. It was salvation. It was the only way.

He strode past Dr. K, taking the flash drive from her hand as he went. She turned to confront him while the argument raged in the background. They locked eyes and realization dawned on her. She knew what he was going to do.

"Ziggy! NO!" Dr. K screamed as he strapped the broken morpher firmly to his wrist. All attention was diverted to him now, the argument forgotten. Dillon surged forward, his arm outstretched, hoping to stop him. But there wasn't time.

He whispered a silent apology as he entered the code. He could hear the screams echo around him as the room faded in tendrils of green and black light. Pain exploded throughout his body and clouded his vision. He had the virus in his hands. It had worked. He'd teleported.


End file.
